Harrietts ensley hodcxson



June 4, 1929. H E, HQDGSON 1,716,131

POLICEMAN S CLUB Filed Oct. 22, 1924 l/Vl/E T H ATTORNEY Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED sra'ras HARRIETTE ENSLEY HODGSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IOLICEMANS CLUB.

Application filed. October 22, 1924. Serial No. 745,166.

Members of the police forces in cities are being compelled with great frequency to overcome violent resistance from criminals, and are often the objects of n'iurderous attacks. Among a considerable elementof the criminal population the knife is a favorite weapon, and the peace ofiicer heretofore has had to choose in meeting such an attack between using his club or discharging his revolver. Reliance upon the club in dealing with desperate characters has cost many b "ave policemen their lives or serious injury, and there has come to be an increasing resort on the part of the police to the use of their firearms in crowded streets, the regrettable result of which in numerous cases has been the wounding or killing of innocent persons. In some cases, the recognized increasingly desperate character of the criminals as a class now causes policemen to shoot when the 611101 gency may not actually require it. This condition is as grave as the peril to the police themselves, and there has been much agitation toward reducing the frequency with which otliciers make use of their guns.

The object of this invention is to provide the police with an effective additional means of defense and subjugation, without increas ing the number of weapons to be carried, the additional arm being particularly adapted for meeting the criininals own means of offense, and being capable of use in such fashion as to wound and subdue without killing, while sufficiently vicious to create fear and to do an amount of damage likely to cause the criminal to surrender. In case of necessity the arm can be used to wound in a very serious or deadly manner, but in no case need the weapon injure bystanders or cause injury to the policeman himself, as sometimes occurs when he goes in with his gun drawn to get a man.

The device comprises a policclnans club, which is provided in the handle end with a projectable knife-blade, with means for holding it rigidly in either partly or fully ex tended position. hen the supplementary weapon is used the club is grasped by its butt end, and the length of the club with the blade projecting from its end gives the oi'licer a substantial and important advantage in reach over a criminal armed with an ordinary knife.

I11 the accompanying drawingzgs forming part nere t Fig. 1 is a plan "View;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on a larger scale, with the knife bladein its fully extended position; v

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the same scale as Fig. 3, taken on the line l4: of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the knife blade projected part way;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified construction; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the end of the club encased in a cover.

The policemans club 2 may be of ordinary form, and a cord or ribbon 3 is shown passed through a transverse opening toward the handle end, in the usual manner.

In the handle part there is provided a longitudinal recess for receiving, guiding and laterally supporting a knife blade 4. The recess may be formed, as shown, between the body of the club and a slotted retainer plate 5 screwed thereto, this plate having flanges 6 bordering the slot, which overlie the top of the blade. When the blade is fully retracted within the handle of the club, its rear end abuts against the rear end of the recess, and when the blade is fully projected shoulders 7 on the base of the blade abut limit stop shoulders 8 at the front of the recess.

The blade can be set part way out, as seen in Fig. 5, in which position it will not cause fatal injury. In either of the projected posi tions, and also in its retracted position. it is to be firmly held and locked by suitable means, of which an illustration is the screw pin 9 of Figs. 1 to 5, in threaded engagement with a hole through a bossed portion of the blade base and adapted to enter any one of a series of three holes 10 in the club, corresponding in position to the three positions of the blade. The head 11 of the screw serves both to manipulate the screw and as a handle for shifting the blade.

An alternative form of locking pin is shown in Fig. 6, which consists of a slidable pin 9 pressed into locking position by a spring 12 and adapted to be released by simply pulling on the head, and to snap in automatically when the movement of the blade brings it over one of the sockets. It is desirable to irovice an indicator 13 to mark the intermediate position of the blade.

in addit on to, or even to serve in place of l pin, more at .filtititi ing springs 14 are provided mounted in the bottom of the recess so as to spring up behind the blade as it is moved forward and support it against rearward movement. Fig. 3 shows a single spring positioned to back up the blade when fully extended. Figs. 5 and '6 show two springs in tandem placed to act at the two extended positions of the blade respectively.

Fig. 7 illustrates a leather cover 15 that may be provided for covering thehandle of the club andthe blade, and to afforda comfortable grip. This cover hasa slit 16'to pass the shank of the pin 9, andthe, edges of the slit carry snaps 17 to hold the cover in place. The cover can be quickly removed and placed in the pocket.

Other forms, modifications and refinements will suggest themselves and I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown. This club need not necessarily be the club always carried. vA supply may be kept at the station houses, to be issued as may be necessary.

-VVhat-I claim as new is:

In an article of the character described, a handle having a longitudinal guide-way extending-to'one end of the handle a blade in saidguide-Way adapted to be retracted entirely within the end of the handle or to be i protruded. to different distances, an automatic catch at the bottom of the guide-way adapted to spring up automatically behind the blade when the latter is protrudech and a locking pin on the blade having a knob serving as a handle for shifting the blade,,the support having a pluralityof sockets adaptedto be engaged by said locking pin at different protruded positions of the-blade, said automatic catch beingpositioned to support the blade l against rearward movement in a position in which saldpin will engage Wlth. one of said sockets.

HARRIETTE ENSLEY vHODGrSON. 

